Advice
Decorating with a Laminate Floor
The timelessness of a wood floor is very appealing, especially for our lifestyles today. With it’s obvious ease of cleaning, its durability and its environmental impact in our homes, wood flooring can be used in almost every room in a house.
Let us take a look at what to keep in mind when choosing a wood floor in your home.
In the Sitting/Dining room
Most houses today have connecting sitting and dining rooms and there is nothing more appealing than having a continuity of floor covering unifying the two rooms. When choosing laminate flooring in these rooms the factors you need to consider are as follows:
- First and foremost, remember your floor covering will be down for decades to come.
- Don’t match the floor colouring to your present décor as this will probably change over the years. Instead match the laminate with the room usage and tone in as much as possible with existing staple pieces in your room such as a fireplace surround, or heavy furniture you know you will not be replacing for years.
- Keep in mind that a lighter finish will create a spacious impression, while darker hues lend themselves to a more intimate atmosphere.
- If you want to install a dark floor, make sure you have plenty of natural light coming into your rooms. A thinner plank will give a feeling of spaciousness to smaller rooms, where a wider plank will do well in a more roomy area. You can always add warmth and a splash of colour with rugs if you feel there is just too much wood for your liking.
For the Hall/Entrance
As a very high traffic area, a hall or entranceway is the perfect place to lay a laminate floor. Again, the same rules apply. If your hall is long and dark, a slimmer design plank will add a spacious feel, and if you don’t have a lot of light in that particular room, then a lighter toned floor is better here. Your hallway can be matched with the laminate in the sitting room and gives a lovely spacious, continuity to your home.
In the Kitchen and Bathroom
Laminate flooring is practically perfect for any room in your home. While it is not recommended in kitchens or bathrooms, laminate can still be used here due to its durability and hardiness. A kitchen is a high traffic area and very often a messy environment where spills and accidents occur regularly. But because of their engineering, laminate floors are easy to keep clean and are very stain resistant.
Over time however, laminate in a kitchen and bathroom can begin to show wear and tear, but it’s certainly a better choice than a solid wood floor or carpet. If choosing laminate for your kitchen or bathroom, go for a smoother finish plank, where dirt and grime can be wiped away easily. In kitchens, a darker finish will hide a multitude and for bathrooms a lighter colour will expand the room size.